Finding the missing link? The impact of co-ethnicity, pan-ethnicity, and cross-ethnicity on Latino vote choice

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/10659129221097156
• Published date: 01 March 2023
• Date: 01 March 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Political Research Quarterly

2023, Vol. 76(1) 337–347

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/10659129221097156

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Finding the missing link? The impact of

co-ethnicity, pan-ethnicity, and

cross-ethnicity on Latino vote choice

Ivelisse Cuevas-Molina, PhD

1

and Tatishe M Nteta, PhD

2



Abstract

Surveys show that Latinos more strongly identify with their ethnic identities (i.e. national origin) than their pan-ethnic

identity as “Latino/Hispanic.”Given the primacy of ethnic identity among Latinos, what impact does shared ethnic versus

pan-ethnic identity between candidates and voters have on Latino vote choice? Studies suggest that an “identity-to-

politics link”exists among Latinos; however, we believe the measurement of “co-ethnicity”should be reexamined. Using

a survey experiment embedded in a module of the 2016 Cooperative Congressional Election Study, we randomize the

ethnic, pan-ethnic, and partisan identif‌ication of a f‌ictional male congressional candidate in a contest against a white non-

Hispanic candidate to examine the role of shared ethnic identity on Latino vote choice. We f‌ind that Latinos, regardless of

candidate partisanship, more strongly support co-ethnic candidates relative to candidates with whom they share a pan-

ethnic identity. We also f‌ind that Latinos are signif‌icantly more supportive of a cross-ethnic Latino candidate compared to

a pan-ethnic Latino candidate; and that Latinos are more likely to cross partisan lines to support a co-ethnic candidate.

These results not only suggest that there exists a Latino “identity to politics”link, but that the extant scholarship has

underestimated the size and scope of this electoral connection.

Keywords

latinos, vote choice, ethnic identity, pan-ethnicity, survey experiment

With few exceptions, scholarship on Latino political

behavior has uncovered that the presence of a Latino

candidate on the ballot has a positive inf‌luence on Latino

electoral participation (for a review see Griff‌in 2014;De la

Garza 2004;Fraga et al. 2006;Jones-Correa, Faham and

Cortez 2018). More specif‌ically, scholars have found that

when given the opportunity to vote for a Latino candidate,

regardless of the candidate’s partisanship, Latinos will

overwhelmingly do so (Stokes-Brown 2006;Manzano

and Sanchez 2010;Barreto 2007a;McConnaughy, White,

Leal, and Casellas 2010). Across these studies, it is as-

sumed that 1) “co-ethnicity”is def‌ined by Latinos’

identif‌ication with their “pan-ethnic”identity as Latino or

Hispanic, and 2) Latinos subsequently rely on this pan-

ethnic identity when making political decisions. In short,

these studies conclude that an “identity-to-politics link”

exists among Latinos, as “co-ethnicity”has emerged as a

key factor in accounting for Latino electoral behavior.

However, some scholars contend that while the

“identity to politics link”is strong among African

Americans, this link may not be replicated in the same

fashion when examining Latino electoral behavior

(Segura and Rodrigues 2007;Lee 2008). Chief among

these scholars is Taeku Lee (2008), who proposes that

assessing the link between group identity and political

behavior necessitates the recognition of the potentially

unique characteristics of the Latino community. In line

with Lee’s directive, we note that Latinos, unlike African

Americans, 1) hold weak attachments to the “pan-ethnic”

identities of Latino and Hispanic and 2) prefer to identify

with their ethnic identities (i.e. national origin) when

compared to a pan-ethnic identity, leading to questions

regarding the applicability of the “identity to politics”

1

Department of Political Science, Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA

2

Department of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst,

Amherst, MA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Ivelisse Cuevas-Molina, Department of Political Science, Fordham

University, 441 East Fordham Road, Fabel Hall Rm 671, Bronx,

NY 10458, USA.

Email: cuevasmolina@fordham.edu